Transportation and streets
Council decisions about transportation and streets: 17 decisions. Map ›
October 2026
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City picks a different way to hire builders for streetcar extension
This lets the city skip the usual rule of hiring the lowest bidder to build the Montgomery Park Streetcar Extension. Instead, the city will ask builders for proposals and pick one to help during design and then build the project. This hiring method is called Construction Manager/General Contractor. The extension will carry the streetcar north on NW 23rd Avenue to new one-way tracks on NW Roosevelt and NW Wilson streets.
City of Portland · October 21, 2026 · Passed, 12 to 0. · District 4
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New rules for private pay parking lots: better signs, photo proof for tickets
This changes city rules for privately run parking lots, including lots where you pay and park. Lots must post clearer signs about their rules, and operators must take photos when they issue a parking penalty notice. It also raises the one-time permit application fee for lot operators to match inflation and adds a yearly inflation adjustment.
City of Portland · October 14, 2026 · Passed, 10 to 0, with 2 councilors absent. · District 4
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City picks a different way to hire builder for NW streetcar extension
This lets the city skip the usual rule of hiring the lowest bidder to build the Montgomery Park Streetcar Extension. Instead, the city will ask companies for proposals and choose a Construction Manager/General Contractor, a builder who helps during design and then builds the project. The streetcar would run along NW 23rd Avenue north of NW Northrup Street to new one-way routes on NW Roosevelt and NW Wilson streets.
City of Portland · October 14, 2026 · Moved forward to a second reading, a required second council vote. No vote count was given. · District 4
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Council leans toward rejecting neighbors' added conditions for Ida B Wells rebuild
Portland Public Schools plans to rebuild Ida B Wells High School and improve its campus, and a city hearings officer approved the plan with conditions. The Hillsdale Neighborhood Association appealed, asking for more conditions: bike and walking lanes on the path through campus, pedestrian improvements on SW Burlingame Ave., and public use of fields, track and tennis courts without reservations when the school is not using them. Council tentatively said no to those added conditions but kept the hearings officer's approval and added one condition offered by the school district.
City of Portland · October 14, 2026 · Tentatively denied the appeal, 12 to 0. The hearings officer's approval and conditions stay, plus one condition proposed by the school district. Staff will write updated findings (the written reasons for the decision). · District 4
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New rules for private pay parking lots: better signs, photo proof for tickets
This changes city rules for private parking lots that charge for parking or ticket people who park without permission. Lots must post clearer signs about their rules, and staff must take photos when they issue a parking penalty notice. The one-time permit application fee for lot operators goes up to match inflation and will rise with inflation every year after.
City of Portland · October 7, 2026 · Moved forward to a second reading. No vote was taken yet. · District 4
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City can take temporary property rights for SE Division safety project
This lets the city get temporary use of some private property needed to build safety changes on SE Division Street between SE 148th and SE 174th Avenues. The project adds a raised center median (a curbed strip in the middle of the road) in place of parts of the shared left-turn lane, plus curb ramps for people with disabilities and better crosswalks. The city will try to agree on a fair price with owners first, and can go to court to take the rights if no deal is reached.
City of Portland · October 7, 2026 · Passed, 12 to 0. · District 1
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City can take temporary use of land for SE Stark crossing work
This lets the transportation bureau get temporary rights to use parts of private property near SE 119th Ave and SE Stark St so it can build new curb ramps for wheelchairs and a safety island for people crossing the street. The city will try to agree on a fair price with owners first. If they cannot agree, the city can use eminent domain, which means going to court to get the rights and have a judge set fair payment.
City of Portland · October 7, 2026 · Passed, 12 to 0. · District 1
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City can now sell ads on streetcar benches and shelters
Until now, city rules let only TriMet sell ads on benches and shelters where people wait for transit. This change lets the City, which owns the Portland Streetcar, also sell ads on streetcar benches and shelters. The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) plans to run the next streetcar ad contract.
City of Portland · October 7, 2026 · Passed, 12 to 0.
September 2026
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City moves to get temporary property rights for SE Division safety project
This would let the city's transportation bureau get temporary use of parts of some private properties along SE Division Street between SE 148th and SE 174th Avenues. The city can use eminent domain, which is its legal power to take property rights for public use while paying owners a fair price, if talks with owners fail. The project adds a raised center median in place of parts of the center turn lane, plus curb ramps for people with disabilities and better crosswalks.
City of Portland · September 30, 2026 · Moved to a second reading. No final vote yet. · District 1
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City may use eminent domain for temporary access on SE Stark Street
This lets the city get temporary rights to use parts of private property so it can build safety upgrades at SE 119th Ave and SE Stark St. Eminent domain is the city's legal power to take property rights for public use, as long as it pays owners a fair price. The city will try to agree on payment with owners first, and can go to court if they cannot agree.
City of Portland · September 30, 2026 · Moved to a second reading. No vote is listed yet. · District 1
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City may sell ads on Portland Streetcar benches and shelters
Right now, city rules let only TriMet put ads on benches and shelters where people wait for transit. This change would let the City, which owns the Portland Streetcar, sell ads on streetcar benches and shelters too. The city's transportation bureau (PBOT) plans to take over the streetcar ad contract when the current one ends on November 11, 2026.
City of Portland · September 30, 2026 · Moved forward to a second reading, which is a required second council vote before it becomes law. No vote count was given.
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City accepts $207,411 state grant for police to stop street takeovers
This lets the city spend $207,411.35 from an Oregon Department of Transportation grant to fight street racing and street takeovers. The money pays for police overtime and equipment such as portable cameras to break up these events and charge people who break traffic laws. Council also moved $10,370.57 from a city reserve fund to the Office of Community Based Police Accountability.
City of Portland · September 23, 2026 · Passed with changes, 11 to 1. Two changes were added first: one passed 8 to 4 and one passed 12 to 0. It is an emergency ordinance, so it takes effect right away.
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Police get state grant for crash drones and electronic ticket printers
The city accepts $103,069 from the Oregon Department of Transportation's Traffic Safety Office for the Portland Police Bureau. The money buys crash investigation drones, a crash investigation computer, and mobile printers so officers can write tickets electronically instead of on paper. It also pays for officer training on these tools.
City of Portland · September 23, 2026 · Passed as amended, 9 to 3. Council first approved a change proposed by Councilor Kanal, 7 to 5. It then added an emergency clause, 11 to 1, so the law takes effect right away and the items can be bought before the grant ends.
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City pays $125,000 to settle bicycle crash injury lawsuit
The city will pay $125,000 to Joseph Rios to end his lawsuit over injuries from a July 17, 2023 bicycle crash involving the Portland Bureau of Transportation. City lawyers said the city could lose if the case went to a jury, so they recommended settling. Because it is an emergency ordinance, it takes effect right away.
City of Portland · September 23, 2026 · Passed, 11 to 0. One member was absent.
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City may allow ads on Portland Streetcar benches and shelters
Right now, city code lets only TriMet sell ads on benches and shelters where people wait for transit. This change would let the City, through the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT), also sell ads on the benches and shelters it owns for the Portland Streetcar. PBOT plans to take over the streetcar ad contract when the current one ends in November 2026.
City of Portland · September 23, 2026 · Rescheduled to a later meeting at the September 23, 2026 meeting. The linked document is marked as passed, but no vote is listed for this meeting.
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State grant pays police overtime to stop street racing and takeovers
The city accepts $207,411.35 from the Oregon Department of Transportation's traffic safety office. The money pays Portland Police overtime to break up and prevent street racing and street takeover events, and buys equipment like deployable cameras. These events have blocked emergency access, and the city says 12 homicides since 2021 were linked to them.
City of Portland · September 16, 2026 · Moved forward to a second reading on September 23, 2026. No vote count was given.
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Police get $103,069 state grant for traffic tickets and crash drones
This lets the city spend a $103,069 state grant on Portland Police traffic work. It pays for officer training, printers to write tickets electronically instead of on paper, drones to document crash scenes, and a computer for crash investigations. The goal is shorter traffic stops, faster crash scene work so roads reopen sooner, and better data to guide enforcement.
City of Portland · September 16, 2026 · Moved to a second reading on September 23, 2026. The listing shows the ordinance as passed, but no vote count was given.